The Birthing Of The Pelicans Initial Pelican creation included interviewing numerous designers and fabricating processes. This was probably one of the most grueling aspects of the project. Finally the first pelican design was sculpted, and a fiberglass fabricator was secured. Next, we had to see that the design was structurally engineered so that once placed it would withstand hurricane force winds. It was at this point when we presented our ideas to members of the Hotel Motel Occupancy Tax Committee and the City Council of Seabrook. We were overwhelmed with their great encouragement, and their generous support in the way of seed money to help us get this project flying! Thanks to Randy and Connie Lange, Progressive Fiberglass Fabricators, we mastered the first mold and structural design! We began production and started matching pelicans to artists from the juried artists process. Once seven pelicans of Design One had been fabricated, it was determined that a Design Two would add a greater dimension to the project. Again, thanks to Randy and Connie, we found Paul Urbanek. With his 35 years of creative art display background, and his incredible commercial artistic skill, Design Two was berthed and now both pelican species were a big hit. It is often funny to find that people are very opinionated as to the design they prefer! Calls for artists were sent out in two phases. Each artist submitted their bio, copies of previous work, a drawing of their proposed pelican creation, and a design concept statement. Each pelican had its own unique style and character! Artists of all ages responded from throughout the state of Texas. One pelican was a project of The Community Artists Collective in Houston. This fascinating organization offers a variety of learning opportunities in art to the community and provides a safe haven to constructively engage children, adults, and families in the visual arts. Another pelican was the creativity of a 12-year-old young lady. Her pelican, Tattoo, was designed specifically to relate to children of all ages and backgrounds, and we are proud to say she and Tattoo were highlighted in the Houston Chronicle YO! section. |
